Vietnamese Su-22 crashes

A Vietnamese Sukhoi Su-22M4 (similar to the type shown above) crashed into a farm on Wednesday, killing the pilot. The aircraft was on a routine training mission when the incident took place, according to Vietnamese news reports. An investigation is underway.

Vietnam has bought over 120 Su-22s (below is a video of the type), which are a variant of the Soviet-era SU-17 attack aircraft. Around half of these are believed to be still operational. Hanoi is looking to modernise its air force, which also has RAC MiG-21s, RAC MiG-23s, Su-27s and Su-30s in its inventory. It is in the process of inducting additional Su-30s.